


Movie Night

by raineavon



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, ZADF, ZaDr, depends on interpretation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raineavon/pseuds/raineavon
Summary: This is the first chapter of a longer fic I'm working on, but I like it as it's own thing a lot so, here it is. Just a lot of really domestic fluff. Also my random headcannon that Zim likes stop-motion animation.
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

> Added Notes: The formatting of this was really bad, so I've (finally) fixed it.

“Master, it is five hours past noon; Dib will be here shortly.”

Zim looked up at Computer’s voice and checked the time on his monitor. He rubbed his eyes and cracked his knuckles, “Thank you, Computer. Zim will proceed to the surface now. Ensure that my work is secured.”

Computer sighed, “Yes, Master.”

Zim nodded curtly as he began making his way to the elevator. He groaned, “Zim spends too much time at that desk; his eyes are burning.”

“Ever tried dark-mode?” Zim squinted up at the silhouette hovering over the opening of the elevator.

He chuckled at the boy’s smirk, “Ah, of course, why hasn’t Zim thought of that?”

Dib offered him a hand, “Where would you be without me?”

Foodcourtia… again… “Ruling over your pathetic planet.”

Dib rolled his eyes as he helped Zim out of the trashcan, “Sure you would. So, what are we watching?”

Zim tsked, “How quick the Dib is to change the subject; perhaps he has finally accepted Zim’s superiority.”

Dib elbowed him, “In your dreams, Spaceboy. Now answer the question, unless you forgot to pick something, again.”

Zim jumped over the arm of the couch, “That was one time, Fool-boy. Zim has selected one of your human movies tonight; Coraline. And you will say nothing of it!”

Dib laughed as he laid down on the couch, head in Zim’s lap, “Hey, no complaints here, man. It’s been too long since I’ve seen that, anyway.” Zim choked back the chirp bubbling in his throat as he turned on the television and started the film.

Movie nights were usually pretty quiet, especially when Gaz agreed to take Gir for the evening. Tonight, however, Gir was in one of the labs, running diagnostics, as Computer would be soon. The two were completely alone in the base. No prying eyes to watch Zim study the human in his lap. Zim had already memorized Dib’s features, of course; he’d done that a long time ago, when the two were still “mortal enemies.” That didn’t take away the appeal of watching the human, though. The way his brows furrowed in thought or the way his chest rose and fell with his breaths. Zim especially liked that part, when Dib would take a full, deep breath. A breath like he hadn’t taken since eighth-grade.

Zim remembered that; when Dib first began binding. It was almost six months after the boy had “come out” to Zim as transgender. Zim hadn’t understood the problem at first. When an Irken experienced such things the medics provided them with hormone replacements and antenna treatments- a distracted soldier was a useless soldier, after all- but humans were not like that. Many of them, in fact, seemed to think that it was somehow wrong to be that way. That had been when Zim had first begun to realize how truly cruel humans could be… the Professor, at least, was what the humans called “accepting.”

The Dib had come into his base after telling him and excitedly proclaimed that he had finally procured a device to make him “flat”, as he had put it. The two had celebrated by going to the mall and buying Dib some new clothes. Zim had felt a strange sense of pride in his nemesis that day. …then Dib had nearly passed out during one of their battles the next day and Zim learned that these binders were very much not safe to wear at all times as the Dib had said. From then on, Zim relentlessly pestered the boy about how long and how tight he had been wearing his “mammilla concealment device.” Only because it wouldn’t do for their battles to be interrupted by a piece of fabric, of course. But Zim didn’t have to worry about that anymore.

He remembered that day, too, much more recent, when he and the Gaz-sister had accompanied Dib to the hospital for his surgery. Zim smiled, thinking about how excited the human had been; Dib had been bouncing off the walls in the waiting room. Zim remembered when the procedure was over and he was allowed to greet his friend. He had walked in to see the boy crying and had felt his squeedily-spooch tighten at the sight. The hand unconsciously running through Dib’s hair clenched briefly at the memory. Zim had rushed to his side to ask him what was wrong, only to see the boy smile at him. “Look, Spaceboy,” he had said, “I’m finally flat.”

Zim had breathed a sigh of relief and responded, “Indeed you are, you horrible stink-beast.” They had laughed. Later, Zim had found out exactly why the Dib hadn’t ever wanted to be seen on anesthetics. The boy had sung and screamed and all the other horribly embarrassing things a man could do in two hours. Zim had recorded all this, of course.

And now, his Dib could breathe freely.

Now, Zim was free to watch the rise and fall of his chest.

To watch this glorious disaster of a man run and laugh and simply exist with one less weight on his soul.

Zim was sure that this is what the humans meant when they talked about beauty. What else could it be?

Zim exhaled as he gingerly angled his antennae towards Dib. He could hear the human’s pulse and smell… whatever it was that was so uniquely Dib underneath the cologne and soap. Strawberry soap, specifically, which the boy always smelled very strongly of on movie nights. Zim chuckled at the small, sweet gesture. “What’s so funny, Lizard?” Dib lamely asked without taking his eyes off the screen.

Zim pinched his arm, “Nothing. It’s just that the Dib-beast’s hair tickles Zim’s antennae.”

Zim realized his mistake immediately. Dib gave a dark chuckle as he began to shift, “So you are ticklish! I knew it!”

Zim threw his head back indignantly, “Of course not! Zim is an Irken Invader; I have no such weaknesses. That the Dib would even sug- what are you doing?”

Dib did not respond. He had changed positions so that he was now sitting on Zim’s lap, and he had taken one of Zim’s antennae between two fingers. He began rubbing the bit under his thumb. He waited to see if Zim would stop him; he didn’t. The boy took the other stalk in his hand and replicated the motion. He thought for a moment. “Hey Zim,” the Irken hummed in acknowledged, “I’m not like, committing some weird social taboo or something, right?”

“You have already seen Zim out of uniform, what more can be done? But no, there is nothing wrong with touching Zim’s antennae,” Zim assured him.

“Cool,” Dib trailed off, “Does it actually tickle?”

Zim raised a brow-bone at him, “Does it look like it?”

Dib chuckled, “No, it doesn’t. …I’m not hurting you, am I?”

Zim purred reassuringly, “No. It actually feels quite nice; like a massage.”

Dib hummed, “Cool. You wanna switch places so we can finish the movie?” Zim nodded and waited for Dib to move. Once he had Zim stood up and stretched his legs while Dib sat down. He moved to sit on the boy’s lap and leaned back into his chest. Dib took the tips of Zim’s antennae in his palms and began running his thumbs along their points, “That good?”

Zim purred again, “Yeah... I’m not hurting your scars, am I?”

Dib chuckled, “Someone’s tired. And nah, you’re good.” Zim nodded and returned to the film.

* * *

Zim did not make it through to the credits. He fell asleep curled into Dib’s chest and woke up in his bed with a note saying that Dib would be back once he’d archived the blackmail photos he took.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it and if you have any suggestions, please tell me! All feedback is welcome and appreciated! Have a good day!


End file.
